Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIOPD)

Positive Design

Delft students design for our well-being

Pieter Desmet Positive Design Delft students design for our well-being

Pieter Desmet 2018

ISBN: 978-94-6186-912-8 Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering Delft University of Technology Delft, The Netherlands Content

Uniekies 6 Your disability as your superpower

Konnekt 10 The barrier as game board

Present Moments 14 A relaxing ritual for children

Billy Cash 18 Saving for happiness

Stadsdorp Story 22 Designing for the general happiness of the community

Embassy Of Youth 28 Loitering teens of Rotterdam-Zuid discover their unique talents

Punching, kicking, stroking and rocking 34 Glowb calms you during a psychological crisis.

The Goedzak 40 Give your old things a new life

Fizzy & Stickz 44 Take the woods to the hospital

Tinytask 50 Your daily dose of happiness Preface

In 2015, a new journal was launched: the Dutch Journal of Positive Psychology. The editor-in-chief invited me to contribute with a recurring column that refects on the question of how design can contribute to the feld of positive psychology. I was immediately excited because I saw an opportunity to share some of our students’ inspiring work with a wider audience. Hence, we agreed that the columns would serve to present examples of Positive Design – design cases that focus on human fourishing by students of the TU Delft Faculty of Indus- trial Design Engineering.

Over the years, I have witnessed how an increasing number of design students have become inspired by the concept of wellbeing. These are designers who aspire to consciously and deliberately use their design skills in contributing to the happiness of individuals and communities. Rather than being a fortuitous by-product of design, wellbeing has frmly anchored in the heart of these students’ design intentions. I hope the columns convey some of their contagious enthusiasm.

This booklet presents the frst ten columns, written from 2015 to 2018. Some of the design cases focus on individuals, others on groups. Some help us to rediscov- er out talents, some support us in forming meaningful relationships, and others enable us to invest in the happiness of ourselves and of the people we care about.

Pieter Desmet Uniekies: your disability as your superpower

Design by Janine Innemee

What does it feel like to be a superhero? With Uniek- ies, a game designed by Janine Innemee, you can experience this yourself. The game is intended for children in the ages of 6 to 11 years old. What makes this game special is that it encourages active play between children with and without a physical disability. Uniekies’s positive approach is a good example of how you can take someone’s own unique strengths as the starting point for an innovative design.

The league of superheroes

Uniekies revolves around the superheroes: children with a disability. There is a whole array of heroes, as each disability represents a specifc superpower. For example, there is Lens (the Secrets Master), the superhero character for children with a hearing impairment. Lens is able to communicate at great distances and pass along secret signs. Bumper (the Space Master), the character for children in a wheelchair, is able to clear the playing feld fast as lightning and protect his followers. Flow (the Flex Master) has trouble with actions requiring fne motor skills but is also super-fexible which means he can easily crawl through narrow spaces. In short, an entire legion of unique superheroes: the Uniekies.

Fortunately, those powers aren’t just for superheroes. Children without a disability can experience them as

6 well, but they have to make an effort. Together with the superheroes, they make special super power suits for dress-up. A bumper suit, for instance, is made by stringing lots of balloons to your body. With this suit, you can ‘bump’, just like superhero Bumper. At the same time, you experience the challenges of getting around in a wheelchair in a playful way. Once all the superheroes have their costumes on, the children come up with a game together in which they can use their super powers.

Playful solidarity From limitations to possibilities With Uniekies, the children experience equality The main idea behind the project was that remov- by playing with their differences. The game offers ing physical barriers was not enough to encourage a context for solidarity and lots of active fun. The play between children with and without physical game is very modest in terms of the materials disabilities. It’s just as important to remove social needed. All you need is a set of cards with instruc- barriers. During her research, Janine discovered tions that you can print and cut out yourself: cards that children without disabilities have a double atti- that show the limitations and superpowers of the tude with regards to playing with children who have superheroes and cards that give tips on how you disabilities. On the one hand, they don’t want to can make the superhero suits. You can use all sorts exclude any children, but on the other hand they’re of materials that can be found in every home: alu- afraid that playing with them will be dull if they need minium foil, an umbrella, lots of adhesive tape, etc. to adapt to others’ limitations. This dilemma translated itself into the design challenge: Developing precisely by emphasising the differences rather a game that promotes social integration between than minimising them. With the superhero meta- children with and without a disability by positively phor, the attention shifts from limitations to possi- infuencing the children’s attitude. With Uniekies, bilities, to the unique power of each child. And by children discover how adventurous and exciting the encouraging creativity, the children’s empathy and interaction between limitations and capabilities can understanding of each other is stimulated. Acces- be. And this solves the dilemma between playing sibility is just as important: the game’s simplicity together and being challenged. makes it very accessible to everyone. Eventually, the quality of a design is determined by the mean- Tape, foil, and rubber bands ing and added value to the users, and if that can be

What inspires me, is that Janine has made the dis- achieved with so little material, it makes the design ability the central focus of her design in a positive that much stronger. way. In the magic of the game, there is equality –

Uniekies was designed by Janine Innemee as thesis project for the master’s programme Design for Interac- tion at the TU Delft. The project was initiated by design agency Panton, and was carried out in partnership with the Nederlandse Stichting voor het Gehandicapte Kind (NSGK) and the Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIOPD). Thesis supervisors were Mathieu Gielen, Deger Ozkaramanli (TU Delft), Joris Swaak and Ingeborg Griffoen (Panton). For more information: www.diopd.org

8 9 Konnekt: the barrier as game board

Design by Job Jansweijer

In the Netherlands, over 500 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. During treatment they are often isolated, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for as much as four months. Visitors are limited and are only allowed with protective clothing - and playing with other kids is practically impossible. This causes boredom and sadness, and it hinders the child’s social development. This presents a challenge: can you design something that prevents these patients from becoming isolated? Independent designer Job Jans- weijer took on that challenge, and his solution is both simple and brilliant: the barrier as game board.

Play

Before he decided to take on this project, Job really had to think about whether he would be able to handle the emotions he foresaw when working with young cancer patients. Now, looking back on the project, he wouldn’t have hesitated for a single moment if he’d known what he would experience. Talking and working with these children proved to be the absolute highlight of his project. Those conversations have changed his perception. Initially, he particularly saw the cancer, the pain, the che- motherapy, the nausea and the traumas. But the ses- sions with the patients proved to be surprisingly open, fascinating and very enjoyable. His most important discovery was that these children could also have a lot of fun. Just like all other kids, they are playful, and if the

10 11 situation allows for it, they like nothing more than to tal in Rotterdam. The children immediately started play with friends. As it turned out, his project wasn’t to play with the fgures and magnets on both sides about cancer, but about children. of the wall, with the glass serving as a game board. Step by step Job developed a game that consists The result is KonneKt, a game that makes clever of colourful shapes that can be connected and at- use of the glass wall between the patient’s room tached to the window by means of suction cups and the hallway. Job recognised the double mean- and magnets. KonneKt is suitable for three types of ing of these walls: the glass forms the connection games: games with clear rules (gaming), coming up with the outside world, but at the same time it with active games with their own rules (adventur- forms a barrier that hinders social contact. KonneKt ing), and inventing and telling fantasy stories (craft- transforms this barrier into a game board for active ing). For example, you can play tic tac toe, but you interaction. can also make a castle or a dragon or create your own fantasy world. The magnets stimulate inter- Dragon active play, because they will only stay up when a The game was developed together with the chil- fgure is put up at both sides of the window. The ab- dren. Job flled a box with all sorts of materials, such stract shapes appeal to the children’s imagination, as plastic fgures, magnets, pieces of string and which means the possibilities are endless. stuffed animals. He took this box to the patients in the Sophia Kinderziekenhuis, the children’s hospi-

Suction caps text where the negative is dominant, you can pro- KonneKt shows that innovation isn’t just about in- vide an essential contribution with something that’s novative technology. On the contrary: with a few aimed at the positive. That makes KonneKt a great coloured shapes, magnets and suction caps, Kon- example of positive designing. With a designer who neKt’s technology is actually very simple. The inno- gained a deeper understanding of the children for vative aspect lies in the social interaction and the whom he was designing, and has completely put effect this has on the children. KonneKt supports the result in service of their wellbeing: designing as and stimulates that interaction. During his project, an act of love. Job arrived at an important insight: even in a con-

Job Jansweijer has developed KonneKt as a graduation project for the master’s programme Design for Interaction at the TU Delft. His supervisors were Elisa Giaccardi and Marco Rozendaal (TU Delft). The project was part of a joint research initiative of the Prinses Máxima Centrum voor Kinderon- cologie and the faculty Industrial Design of the TU Delft aiming to increase the quality of patient care. KonneKt was partly made possible by Stichting Roparun. KonneKt is a fnalist for Shell LiveWire Award 2015; winner of the Interaction Design Award categorie connecting 2014; fnalist for Sustain- able Healthcare Challenge 2014; nominated for the Wereld van Morgen Award 2014; fnalist for Conceptual Design for Innovation for Healthcare photo by Stakelbeek Award 2014. More information: www.konnektplay.nl

12 13 Present Moments: a relaxing ritual for children

Design by Jonas Bähr

Our house, the spring, a pie in the oven, the laundry drying, a freshly picked strawberry – we are surround- ed by scents. We aren’t always aware of it, but those scents have a great impact on our emotional lives. They are directly connected to our emotional memory, and that is why the scent of a cookie can bring us back to the happiness of a childhood memory. Can you design that connection between scent and memory? That was Jonas Bähr’s design challenge. Jonas aimed to create a design that allows people to approve their moods by means of scent.

Scent and mood

The impact of scent on mood is mainly associative and learned. When you often smell the same scent in the same situation, you will automatically connect that scent to that situation. We recognise this in the perfume of our loved one: no matter where and on whom I smell it, that perfume will always be connected with that one person. The same is true for mood. When we often smell the same scent when we’re in a certain mood, this scent is charged with that particular emotion. People who are afraid of horses, will already get nervous when they smell a horse. And people who like to relax in a hot bath, will already calm down just by smelling their favourite bubble bath.

14 Charging scents Mood and resilience

For his design, Jonas used the learned scent-emo- In order to create a suitable ritual, Jonas designed tion connection. The design is a scent-box for chil- Present Moments together with the children from dren: Present Moments. The box contains ingredi- his target group. The children loved to actively ents for a calming ritual. The ritual helps children to work on their own mood. Present Moments turned relax before going to bed. This stimulates drifting out to work in different ways. The scent has an im- off to sleep and a good night’s rest. mediate, relaxing effect because the children have learned to associate it with a serene mood. The The box contains a bottle of perfume, a glass bowl, evening part of the ritual stimulates a good night’s white scent strips and a transparent container. It sleep, which also contributes to a balanced mood. works as follows. When children experience a mo- And by making this ritual their own, the children be- ment of relaxation at home, such as while reading came more aware of their moods and how they can or drawing, they can choose to use the box. First, infuence their moods in playful ways. With his de- they put a few scent drops in the bowl. Then they sign, Jonas has shown that it is possible to actively get a scent strip and place it in a slot in the box with regulate our mood using scents. He experienced the holder. The scent strip absorbs the drops and this during his project as well: “Now that I pay more the scent is then slowly released. When this hap- attention to scents, I appreciate the little moments pens, the colour of the strip changes from white to in life more, such as during a short walk – simply by a rainbow. In this way, the scent is charged with the enjoying the scents.” relaxed feeling of that particular moment.

When going to sleep, the second part of the ritual Jonas Bähr developed Present Moments as thesis project follows. The rainbow-coloured strip is taken from for the master’s programme Design for Interaction at the the box, together with a small nightlight. Now, the TU Delft. The project was a joint initiative of International children place the strip in the nightlight and place Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and the Delft Institute of Pos- itive Design (DIOPD) with the goal to explore how scents it by their beds as a scented nightlight. The more can contribute to people’s well-being. Thesis supervisors often Present Moments is used, the stronger the were Pieter Desmet, Eric Jepma (TU Delft), Stan Knoops, association between the scent and the relaxed Jose Santiago Moreno and Marieke Kooijmans (IFF). With mood becomes. special thanks to Jelle and Jip for the photo demonstration. For more information: www.diopd.org

Ready to get started A pinch of fragrance Position the card Remove the card Assemble the light A fragrant night light

16 17 Billy Cash: saving for happiness

Design by Santiago De Francisco Vela

Money doesn’t buy happiness. Or does it? Research has shown that: It is our activities that make us happy, not the products we surround ourselves with. A new TV, smartphone, pair of shoes, kitchen appliances or a car – they may give us brief joy, but the happiness-effect does not last. Activities and the new experiences we gain through these activities have a much longer effect on our happiness. In other words, if you wish to invest in your happiness, you don’t spend your money on new products, but rather on new activities and experiences. But, what about saving? Nearly everyone saves or has saved money at some point. Can the activity of saving contribute to our happiness? Designer Santiago De Francisco Vela designed a digital money box that gives saving a deeper meaning.

The money box

Saving is the activity of ‘setting something aside for the future’; setting aside part of your income to spend it on something in the future without having to borrow money. Children traditionally save with a money box. The box makes saving literally tangible: The physical pres- ence motivates saving and the weight is an immediate indicator of the progress. Adults usually save digitally, for instance through online banking. Digital money box- es are effcient, but they miss the tangible qualities of the piggy bank.

19 The meaning of saving

Santiago aimed to design a form of digital saving that can contribute to the saver’s happiness by making saving tangible again. In his research, he discovered three key insights. Imagine you are saving up for a new pair of running shoes. The frst insight was that saving is more meaningful when the relation to the saving goal is made more tangible – the running shoes. The second insight was that ‘the thing itself’ does not make the saver happier, but rather the activities that he or she will undertake with the product: The activity of running rather than the shoes themselves. And the third insight was that the contribution to happiness is mainly driven by specifc and personal qualities of those activities. The joy of exercising outside, the feeling of physical ftness afterwards, the satisfaction of running with friends, or perhaps a combination of those qualities. into a money box. Billy Cash helps you to organise On the basis of those three insights, Santiago came saving. You choose a character and enter your sav- up with the idea to develop a money box that en- ings goal and savings time. Billy gives you the over- courages you to save in a way that makes you more view of the progress of your savings and motivates aware of how what you are saving up for will contrib- you to achieve your goal. But it does much more ute to your personal well-being. than that. It guides you in discovering the deeper meaning of the product (or experience) you are saving for, in terms of what you are going to do with it, Making saving tangible ‘Which personal talents and skills will you utilise on their saving behaviour than he had anticipated. how it will enrich your life and what personal values The design is called Billy Cash: a combination of a and develop with your running shoes?’ ‘How will The stimulating questions encouraged people to it represents. Periodically, Billy prints small labels base station (Billy) and a smartphone app (Cash). your running shoes stimulate your creativity?’ ‘Can think about the necessity of their savings goals: ‘Is with questions that stimulate you to think about the As soon as you put your smartphone in Billy, it turns you contribute to your community with your run- this product really worth saving for?’ Some users meaning of your savings goal. Examples include: ning shoes?’ ‘What can you learn from your running came to the realisation that their savings goal would shoes?’ By encouraging refection, Billy Cash helps probably not contribute to their happiness as much you to discover the true value of your savings goal. as they had initially thought. And so, they adapted their savings goals. ‘I really don’t need a new TV; I’ll Money - saving with a goal Saving for happiness save up for a trip to Brazil!’ Saving as time for con- Product - what do you buy with the saved money Santiago has had his Billy Cash tested by various sideration – and that is how Billy helps you to spend

Activity - what do you do with the purchased product people. Billy appeared to have a stronger impact money on what truly makes you happy.

Meaning - what do the experiences mean to you

Santiago De Francisco Vela developed Billy Cash as a thesis project for the master’s programme Design for Interaction at the TU Delft. The project was Santiago’s own initiative in collaboration with the Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIOPD) and Rabobank NL with the goal to explore how saving can contribute to happiness. Thesis supervisors were Pieter Desmet and Mafalda Casais (TU Delft). A flm clip of Billy Cash: https://vimeo.com/101157931 For more information: www.diopd.org

20 21 Stadsdorp Story: Designing for the general happiness of the community

Design by Hester van Zuthem

Happiness is personal. I fourish when I am able to develop my talents and when I am able to pursue my personal goals. In other words, well-being is the domain of the individual. Therefore, Positive Design starts with the individual: “Who am I designing for? What are her talents, virtues and goals?” That forms the basis for the design process, resulting in a product that contributes to the happiness of that specifc person. But how do you design for the happiness of a community? There is no such thing as the average person: There are as many talents and goals as there are people. How can we handle that diversity? Designers often focus on the similarities between individuals. There is always a shared goal or skill. That approach is effective, but not entirely risk-free. Because consensus does not always lead to creativity. The spark of a design often lies in the extraordinary, the imaginative or the unconventional.

For this reason, designer Hester van Zuthem came up with an original approach: “Imagine that the community is a ‘living being’, with its own needs, like an autonomous entity. When that entity fourishes, that also stimulates the happiness of the individuals within.” With this idea in

23 mind, Hester developed a design vision, and a de- This is stimulated by a clear long-term mis- sign for Stadsdorp Nieuwmarkt, a neighbourhood sion and shared ownership. Flourishing com- community in Amsterdam. munities often exist longer than a single human life; they ‘outlive’ their members. Flourishing of a community Stadsdorp Nieuwmarkt Hester analysed a series of existing communities Stadsdorp Nieuwmarkt (SDNM) is a citizens’ initia- and discovered four basic traits: A community has tive by the Nieuwmarktbuurt in Amsterdam that (1) multiple members, with (2) common goals, (3) aims to connect the advantages of a small town with a connecting structure between the members, those of the city. Hester interviewed SDNM mem- and (4) a clear boundary between members and bers to understand what the community’s state of non-members. Additionally, she discovered four well-being was. She discovered an unfulflled need core qualities of fourishing communities. A four- in the third core quality: A lack of activity. Apart from ishing community: an active core group, most members have a some- • Has a characteristic and unique identity. This what passive attitude. New members fnd it hard to is supported by traditions, symbols, achieve- become active. Taking that frst step towards a more ments and heritage. active membership was the basis of Hester’s design. • Is resilient. The community maintains itself

through changing circumstances, by renew- The Stadsdorp Story ing itself and remaining relevant. Resilience Hester designed ‘Stadsdorp Story’ for sharing per- is supported by a fexible organisation and sonal stories about the neighbourhood. The design openness to renewal. consists of three components: labels, a website • Is active. It actively contributes to identifying with interactive map and an inspirational booklet. and achieving common goals. • Has continuity. It is not dependent upon spe- The label - With the Stadsdorp Story label, the cifc members for its continued existence. Stadsdorp residents can reveal something personal.

24 25 You attach it to an object somewhere in the neigh- The booklet - The Stadsdorp Story requires active bourhood. Think of homemade art in a windowsill or participation of Stadsdorp residents. The inspiration a birdhouse on a tree. It does not matter what it is, booklet helps them with this. It contains an expla- as long as it is part of a story. The labels of 6 by 9 nation and inspiring examples about the use of the centimetres are shaped like the Stadsdorp logo and label. Stadsdorp residents can also invite each other are made of fuorescent pink plexiglass. The bright to contribute a story by giving each other a label. colour increases their visibility. They give a hint, but With the Stadsdorp Story, Hester has removed do not reveal the story, which stimulates curiosity. the barrier that hindered active contribution to the The map - The second part of the design is an in- community. Stadsdorp residents can get to know teractive map of the neighbourhood. Each label can each other by sharing something of themselves, be found on the map by means of a unique number. and the stories form a collective portrait of the When you have discovered a label in the neighbour- SDNM community. The noticeable labels create hood, you can fnd it on the map and read the per- recognition and coherence. At the same time, this sonal story behind it. The number on the label is a unity functions as a stage for personal, unique and subtle clue that more can be discovered; a treasure surprising insights into the world of the various hunt in your own neighbourhood. Stadsdorp resi- Stadsdorp residents. dents get to know each other through the stories, and this leads to a sense of connectedness.

Shared ownership so, Hester was able to let a diverse group of Stads-

Hester did not focus on the needs of the individual, dorp residents share in the design process. This but on those of the community as an entity. Does ‘co-design’ approach resulted in strong sense of this community have a recognisable identity and ownership and gave the Stadsdorp residents the continuity, is it resilient and active? This approach opportunity to work on the communal needs them- yielded a surprising additional beneft. She discov- selves. And that is how Stadsdorp Story started to ered that it is very inspiring for the members to lead its own life, independent of Hester – and for a work with the core qualities themselves. In doing designer that is a great compliment.

Hester van Zuthem developed the Stadsdorp Story as thesis project for the master’s programme Design for Interaction at the TU Delft. The project was Hester’s own initiative in collaboration with Stadsdorp Nieuwmarkt (Amsterdam), the Delft Insti- tute of Positive Design, and Waag Society (Amsterdam) with the goal to explore how designers can contribute to the well-being of communities. Thesis supervisors were Pieter Desmet and Marieke Sonneveld (TU Delft), Marise Schot and Sacha van Ton- geren (Waag Society). For more information: www.diopd.org/ http://studiolab.ide.tudelft.nl/diopd/projects/design-projects/design-for-community-well-being/

26 27 Embassy of Youth: Loitering teens of Rotterdam-Zuid discover their unique talents

Design by Lisa van de Merwe

You probably know the headlines “Loitering teens ruin late night shopping around metro station Beurs”, “Loi- tering teens plague the IJsselmonde district”, “Com- plaints about municipality of Rotterdam after trouble with loitering teens”, and “Amsterdam district Banne Buiksloot terrorised by loitering teens”. A loitering teen is an infamous phenomenon. When he – usually a boy – makes the news, it is usually due to nuisance, littering or vandalism. In order to reduce that nuisance, far-reaching measures are sometimes taken. In ex- treme cases, municipalities may impose a restraining order or a ban on gathering in groups, if necessary with police enforcement. Less drastic is installing a so- called Mosquito, a device that produces a high-pitched sound. Inaudible to adults, but particularly irritating to adolescents. That is only one of the means by which teens are ‘chased away’ from their spots, just like ex- perimentation with increased camera supervision, playing classical music, police surveillance and even applying pink lighting.

28 29 The stereotypical troublemaker vations and experiences, the meaning of street life

Measures against loitering teens are often under- and how their self-image is infuenced by the resi- standable, and maybe even necessary. But, at the dents’ responses. Additionally, Lisa also spoke to a same time, they leave a bitter aftertaste –solutions diverse group of residents, youth workers and other such as the Mosquito almost remind me of some experts. As it turned out, the boys experience their kind of pest control. What do these negative as- street life to be particularly positive. In the streets, sociations do to the teens’ self-image? Because, they are free to express themselves, uninhibited of course, not all loitering teens are troublemak- by limitations of family, work or school. Here, they ers. Most are just normal teenagers; young people feel connected to their friends and experience the with their own values, insecurities, dreams, ideals room to develop their personality. In short, they feel and talents. Designer Lisa van de Merwe aimed at home in the streets, and the streets have be- to design something for rather than against these come part of their identity. At the same time, neigh- teenagers. The idea is that a positive approach can bourhood residents have a very negative attitude support the well-being of both the teens and of oth- towards them on the streets. They are confronted er residents. with rejection and stereotyping. Then, they feel misunderstood, because it looks like their opinion

Loitering teens in Rotterdam-Zuid does not count, both in the neighbourhood and in their world. Lisa focused on teens in the Feijenoord district in Rotterdam-Zuid. This district has a bad reputa- The Talent Toolkit tion and is known to the rest of the world as a ‘bad neighbourhood’. She studied the street life of the Lisa’s design focuses on personal talents as that is local teenage boys. They talked about their moti- a feld that’s often neglected due to the negative approach. Lisa decided to design something that approaches those talents with attention and en- couragement. She named her design the ‘Embassy of Youth’ as a reference to the street as the context of their shared identity. The idea was developed together with the adolescents and youth workers. The key is a toolkit they can use to explore and develop their talents together. The kit consists of a set of cards and an online platform (website and Insta- gram) with positive anecdotes and tips from local role models. The cards are used in three workshops that are given by the youth workers over a period of three to four weeks. During the workshop, adolescents discover their own talents (workshop 1: Discover), what they can do with these (workshop 2: Do), and how those can be valuable now and in the future (workshop 3: Refect).

30 31 The online platform

The Embassy of Youth is a website where stories are gathered about the talents of young people in Rotterdam-Zuid. Because negative stories already receive ample attention, this platform only focuses on the positive side. The goal is to make adolescents see how much potential they actually have. The stories are very varied, from unknown teenagers to the local neighbourhood heroes, such as the owner of a boxing school or a local rap artist. They each tell about their own talents and they give tips on how you can use your talents. After the workshops, the participants can also place their own stories on the website.

Beyond prejudice

Lisa was surprised by the people she encountered in her project. Upon the start, she had not foreseen Fifteen talents in the Talent Toolkit that she would be designing for teenagers in the street, a target group she knew absolutely nothing The talent cards about. But it turned out to be possible to make a

The toolkit contains six sets of ffteen talent cards connection –and she discovered that one of her and eight cards with an activity or a design for dis- own talents was that of ‘the connector’. In her own cussion (eight different cards per workshop). In words: “After spending many nights out on the the workshops, the teens use the cards to explore street with the youth workers, and visiting local which talents make them unique. Each talent card football matches and a Christmas dinner in the depicts a talent with a description, a photo and a community centre, I can honestly say I now know quote from a local hero. The cards give the adoles- Feijenoord better than my own neighbourhood.” cents a language by which to express their talents Lisa was not led by prejudice, and this made her (for instance in an interview). In the workshop, they open to unplanned, inspiring encounters. From the name each other’s talents, which is often easier connector to the inventor, everyone has talents; than recognising your own talents. For them, it of- sometimes, you just need a little help to become ten proves to be valuable just to realise that those aware of them. ‘roles’ on the cards are actually talents, and that Lisa van de Merwe developed the Embassy of Youth as thesis proj- they can use these talents. The photos and quotes ect for the master’s programme Design for Interaction at the TU Delft. The project was initiated by Lisa and Anna Pohlmeyer, and are connected to personal stories about talents on conducted in collaboration with Oxfam GB and the Delft Institute the website of the Embassy of Youth. Between the of Positive Design, with the goal to explore how designers can con- workshops, the teenagers work on assignments; tribute to the well-being of teenagers in the Rotterdam Feijenoord something to undertake or think about. Residents district. The thesis supervisors were Anna Pohlmeyer, Stella Boess, can also play a role, for instance by participating in Jay Yoon (TU Delft), and Katherine Trebeck (Oxfam). www.diopd.org the workshops or by supporting the teenagers. and www.embassyofyouth.org

32 33 Punching, kicking, stroking and rocking: Glowb calms you during a psychological crisis.

Design by Maik de Rooij

A ball. That is what this piece is about. So, nothing new. After all, as long as there have been people, we have been playing with balls. In the Odyssey, Homer describes the ball game of princess Nausicaa and her friends. Ball games are depicted on ancient Egyptian monuments, and have been extensively described by the Romans. In short, the ball is everywhere. It plays the leading role in more than 50 sports, from football to billiards, juggling, tennis and bowling. And yet, you can design a new ball; one that is different from all existing balls. That is what Maik de Rooij did. With Glowb, he designed an interactive ball for a special group in a special situation: A ball to regulate tension during a psychological crisis in adolescent psychiatry.

35 Research with patients and sociotherapists

Karakter patients can have a moment to themselves. It is a What is the role of their surroundings? What do one-person room, with a possibility for one-on-one Maik designed the ball for Karakter, a centre for they need and how can an object contribute to this? supervision. Patients indicate when they wish to child and adolescent psychiatry. Karakter offers di- Maik observed the current situation. He spoke to make use of this room, on a voluntary basis. In the agnostics and treatment of ADHD, autism, anxiety carers, patients and parents. He distilled a leading comfort room, they can relax in a comfortable and disorders, OCD, behavioural disorders, psychosis theme from his fndings: the balance between safe- pleasant environment so as to prevent further es- and other psychiatric problems to children and ad- ty and autonomy. olescents of 0-23 years old. Patients can come to calation. The preventive effect of this room often means putting patients in isolation is no longer Karakter for an Intensive Home Treatment (IHT). Glowb This concerns an intensive treatment at home, but necessary. Comfort rooms have been designed as During his research, Maik discovered that there is during a crisis, temporary hospitalisation is possible friendly and tranquil rooms with warm colours and no one single need. There are various strategies to in the High & Intensive Care (HIC), a relatively new furniture of soft materials. cope with crisis, and what strategy is effective de- form of short-term clinical hospitalisation in mental Safety and autonomy pends on the phase the crisis is in. If you are frus- healthcare. Such hospitalisation is used in case of a Maik’s challenge was to design an ‘object’ for the trated or angry, you seek to express your negative severe psychological crisis. With HIC, patients can new comfort room of the child and adolescent psy- energy in a physical way. But if you are anxious or be helped in a dignifed manner, in an environment chiatric centre in Nijmegen. The design serves to psychotic, you need something that helps you to where safety and protection are combined with re- help patients during a psychological crisis. Can an organise your thoughts. Sometimes, you wish to spectful care and treatment. object help regulate tension? In order to explore lose yourself in a fun activity, to escape from your own emotions. Glowb makes this possible. Glowb is Comfort room this, Maik had to study the characteristics of psy- a large, soft, elastic ball that hangs from the ceiling A central location in the HIC centre is the comfort chological emergency situations. Why causes the in the comfort room. You can use it in a ferce and room. That is a room where restless or anxious patients’ crises? How do they cope with them? active way, but also carefully and gently. 36 37 Fierce interaction Maik built a prototype to test his design. Users were

You give Glowb a powerful punch. It bounces off the very enthusiastic. They experience the light effects wall. This converts your negative energy into action. as a refection of their own emotional condition and The ball makes a sound, radiates a bright light and behaviour, making them more aware of their own bounces back. This demands a response; your at- feelings. The focus on the light effects helps to tention shifts from your negative thoughts to the let go of negative thoughts, so new thoughts have returning ball. How do you respond? Do you catch room to form. the ball, evade it or punch it again? The bright light reinforces the interaction by changing the entire Psychiatry versus design environment. Glowb clearly shows: I heard you. Before he met Karakter, Maik never would have thought he would be designing for a psychiatric Glowb in careful interaction Careful interactions centre. It was a completely new experience. He You can also communicate more gently with Glowb. was particularly surprised by the similarities in work You stroke or rock it, or make it swing or spin. The methods: “For me as a designer, it was certainly ball reacts as expected: It moves gently, glows and worthwhile to work with healthcare professionals. slowly changes colour. You move your attention to Their patient-oriented approach perfectly matched the light effects that fll the room; soft colours that with how I learned to design: the user is always the slowly merge into each other. The colours help you focus.” Currently, Glowb is being further developed to calmly organise your thoughts. You take a mo- and the design will be installed in comfort rooms. ment to sit down and think about the situation. If That is the best compliment a person can get for a you stop the interaction, the Glowb continues to graduation project. glow softly.

Maik de Rooij (picture) developed Glowb as a thesis for the master’s programme De- sign for Interaction at the TU Delft. The project was an initiative of Karakter child and adolescent psychiatry, with the goal to design an object that can contribute to tension regulation in a new comfort room. Thesis supervisors were Marieke Sonneveld, Susie Brand-de-Groot (TU Delft), Josephine Boots and Nancy Degen (Karakter). For more information: www.diopd.org

Glowb in ferce interaction

38 39 The Goedzak: Give your old things a new life

Design by Simon Akkaya

“It was a dark winter evening in the centre of Amsterdam. We were on our way to the supermarket for groceries. Suddenly, my friend walked over to a bike that was parked next to the supermarket. He bent over the bike and switched off the red tail light. Apparently, the owner had forgotten to do so. His action fascinated me; it was an act of altruism.”

With this anecdote, Simon Akkaya introduces the subject of his thesis: the social phenomenon of altruism. He based his thesis on the defnition by medical humanitarian Steven Post: “An altruist is someone who does something for another, for the beneft of the other person, rather than to promote his or her own well-being.” Simon wondered: can I design products that encourage people to display such selfess behaviour? To fnd ideas, he studied literature, interviewed sociologists, and analysed existing products that support social behaviour.

Designing for altruism

He applied his insights in three domains: altruism in the context of nutrition, immigration and waste. He designed a concept for each domain. The frst was ‘variable bread’ (image 1). You pay a fxed price for your bread, but

40 41 the size of the loaf of bread is linked to the fuctu- ations of the international grain price. The packag- ing provides information on the current grain price. With this bread, you donate the value for the part you don’t eat to those who suffer most from high grain prices. The second design was an ‘open postcard’ (image 2), with which immigrants and local residents can contact each other. Immigrants can also distribute postcards with a personal interest of theirs on it. The card is stamped and addressed to good about your altruistic deed, and you contrib- a central address where they are processed. The lo- ute to sustainability. The Goedzak keeps the things cation reveals something about his or her interest, clean and dry. The bright yellow stripe attracts peo- such as a library, a music shop, or a coffee bar. The ple’s attention, and the transparent part makes the resident can write down an offer and mail the post- contents visible to passers-by. Remaining items are card to get in contact with the sender. picked up by the charity shop at the end of the day.

The Goedzak The Goedzak is a surprisingly simple, sustainable

The Goedzak (image 3) was the third design in the and social way to discard the products you don’t series. This striking transparent bag gives your old need anymore. The best ideas are often deceptive- things a chance for a new life. Sometimes, we throw ly simple, and the same is true for The Goedzak - away things that are still perfectly usable. Perhaps, which has become a great success. The design won Designers with vision great learning experience. Eventually, I managed the ‘New Material Award’ during the Dutch Design we are not able to take them to a thrift shop, or we Looking back on his thesis project, Simon says: to capture a lot of complexity in those few simple Week and was picked up by international media. simply think it is too much trouble. The Goedzak “This is by far the most diffcult project I’ve done objects.” By now, Simon and his classmate Maarten Simon works with the municipalities of Amsterdam then offers us an opportunity to do a good deed: during my studies. Beforehand, I would never have Heijltjes have their own design agency, Waarmak- and Eindhoven, and is now designing a special ver- fll it with the things you no longer need, and put accepted a graduation project if I had known that ers. Their mission is to design objects that make sion for supermarket chain Albert Heijn for children it out on the street. Anyone can simply pick what I’d be designing a garbage bag, a postcard and a people think, encourage them to put things in per- to donate their toys during the holidays (image 4). they believe can be of value to them. That is how bread bag. My friends had a good laugh about it - ‘Is spective, are funny and, of course, are sustainable. Currently, an online version has also been launched: your old things fnd a new owner. He or she will feel that the future of design?’ But now I’m proud of the In short, designers with heart. Or in the words of the www.goedzak.com result. For the frst time, I was able to design with- Waarmakers themselves: “We like stuff, but we like out knowing beforehand what the product would people better.” be. That open start was a unique challenge and a

Simon Akkaya developed De Goedzak in 2009 as thesis project at Reframing Studio (Amsterdam) for the master’s programme Integrated Product Design at the TU Delft. The project was his own initiative and part of a wider study into altruism, with the specifc question of how designers can support and encourage The variable bread The open postcard altruism. Thesis supervisors were Paul Hekkert, Ruud van Heur (TU Delft), and Femke de Boer (Reframing Studio). www.waarmakers.nl

42 43 Fizzy & Stickz: take the woods to the hospital

Design by Boudewijn Boon

A rock isn’t just a rock. It’s a gemstone. An elf lives in a hollow oak, a fallen tree branch is a knight’s sword, and you can make a kettle of witch’s soup with a bucket full of leaves. The woods are a wonderful place to play. But what can you do if you can’t bring a child to the woods? You bring the woods to the child! This is the essence of Stickz, a set of soft, ambiguous branch-shaped objects designed by PhD candidate Boudewijn Boon. Sometimes, a design is so apt that you can’t help but wonder why it wasn’t thought of before. A design with a primary attraction that immediately raises everyone’s curiosity. Stickz had that effect on me. My frst response was ‘wow’, and I immediately understood the importance of these objects.

Playing at the hospital

Boudewijn studies how young children (2-9 years old) can be encouraged to engage in physical play in the context of a hospital. At this age, children develop important motor skills that form the foundation for their future physical activities. If, due to disease or injury, they are confronted with long-term hospitalisation, the development of those motor skills can suffer. Movement constrictions limit the stamina and muscular strength, which infuences their daily functioning in the short and long term.

In order to prevent stagnation, it is very important for these children to stay active. This brings various chal-

44 lenges. First, physical activity is often impeded by but also in the bushes and underneath the the disease or injury itself. Additionally, many chil- picnic table. Spread out play is uninhibited by dren feel frightened or anxious in the unknown the boundaries of the appointed playing feld. environment with often unpleasant medical pro- • Free play - A stick becomes a magic wand and cedures. Parents can also have an overprotective pine cones become hedgehogs. Free play is attitude, at the expense of the child’s initiatives. unstructured, spontaneous and without rules But, the physical environment also plays an import- set up in advance. ant role. The interior of hospitals is optimised for Fizzy & Stickz safety, hygiene and comfort; not for physical activity. Medical equipment limits mobility and the beds Boudewijn studies how the three Playscape quali- discourage children from being active. Boudewijn ties can be used in hospitals by means of design in- wondered: “How can designers create space for terventions. He does this by means of two designs: young children to play and move in a hospital envi- Fizzy and Stickz. These are suitable for both playing ronment?” with others and individual play. Fizzy is a soft ball with a will of its own: It wiggles to draw your attention, Playscapes rolls away when you approach it, shakes when it’s Fizzy in action picked up hard and purrs when it’s stroked. With this Boudewijn was inspired by outdoor play in a natural behavioural repertoire, he invites the children to fol- environment. Particularly in that kind of play, such as low him and to play with him, while the child can give in the woods or the park, children get a lot of exer- his or her own meaning to this (for instance Fizzy as cise. On the basis of his analysis, he developed Play- a ball or Fizzy as an animal). Stickz is a collection of scapes, a design perspective in which three core soft, branch-shaped objects. The branches differ in qualities of outdoor play can be introduced in a hos- shape, colour and size. They have ring-shaped end- pital environment: physical, spread out and free play. ings that can serve as handles or connections. The • Physical play - Rolling down a hill and climb- Stickz invite children to drag, carry and build. The ing trees. Physical play has great variation in multiple shapes encourage fantasy. A single branch terms of gross motor movements and makes can be a sword or an animal, a built structure can be use of the large muscles. a fort, but also an airplane or palace. • Spread out play - Playing in the playground,

The Playscape perspective: outdoor play as inspiration for the design of hospital environments Stickz in action

46 Research by designing hospital, he is able to further develop and detail the

Fizzy was tested in patient rooms, and Stickz in a Playscapes perspective. But Stickz is much more semi-public waiting room. For Boudewijn, Fizzy and than that - it is a design with a convincing value Stickz are a means to conduct his research: “They on its own; a design that deserves to be made and are a medium to gain insight into the interactions used. Therefore, an alternate version of this is cur- between the children, their parents, brothers and rently being created for application in the Prinses sisters, and the different healthcare professionals. Máxima Centrum. In doing so, Boudewijn develops Fizzy and Stickz have given me greater understand- both knowledge and implementable designs. In my ing of everyone’s role in encouraging and support- opinion, a beautiful example of how research and ing physical play.” By testing the prototypes in the designing can reinforce each other.

Boudewijn Boon developed Fizzy and Stickz as part of his PhD research under the supervision of Pieter Jan Stappers (PhD supervisor), Marry van den Heuvel-Eibrink (PhD supervisor), Marco Rozendaal (PhD supervisor) and Janjaap van der Net (exter- nal advisor). The study is part of the “Meedoen=Groeien!” project, a collaboration with the Revalidatiefonds and the Prinses Máxima Centrum for children’s oncology. Mee- doen=Groeien! is fnancially supported by the VriendenLoterij. Boudewijn is a member of the TU Delft Connected Everyday Lab and the Delft Institute of Positive Design.

For more information, see: http://www.meedoenisgroeien.nl/ https://www.tudelft.nl/io/over-de-faculteit/persoonlijke-profelen/phd-kandidaten/ boon-mjb/

48 Tinytask: Your daily dose of happiness

Design by Hans Ruitenberg

Sometimes I read a book and think, this changes everything, now I’ve learned something that will really make my life better. That is the experience I had when reading ‘The How of Happiness’ (2007) by American psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky. First, she gives us the bad news: We often try to fnd our happiness in life in the wrong things. Things like expensive cars or the latest smartphone. But she has good news as well: We are able to raise our happiness level in a lasting way, you just have to know how. She provides twelve strategies and related happiness-increasing activities, such as, ‘showing gratitude’ and ‘cultivating optimism’. I was inspired. Now I knew exactly what I needed to do in order to become happy! After two months, I took stock; I hadn’t undertaken a single happiness activity and my behaviour remained completely unchanged. Mainly, I was frustrated by my failure, so all in all things were worse than when I started. Why had all my initial motivation amounted to nothing? Where had my good intentions run aground?

From insight to action

When you fnish a book, you put it on a shelf and that is where it will usually remain. I did the same thing with this ‘happiness book’. It literally disappeared into the back- ground of my daily life. Products are different. Products are always around us, everywhere and in everything we do. That gave me an idea. Would it be possible to use a product to turn the insights from the book into some-

50 51 thing tangible, integrating it into our daily routine? That was the question that inspired designer Hans Ruitenberg. He challenged himself to design ‘something’ that would entice and help people to do the happiness activities. The result is Tinytask, a range of fun key rings.

Tinytask

Tinytask is a collection of brightly coloured coins. Each coin represents a small challenge (a ‘tiny task’). This is how it works: You get an envelope containing six coins. The coins have symbols on them indicating the challenges. You pick a coin to start with. You take it from the envelope and read the short instructions underneath the coin. For example: ‘Give a sincere compliment to someone who is not expecting it.’ Or, ‘Turn on your favourite song and dance to it. Don’t be afraid to be a little silly.’ Then you attach the coin to your key ring. It is a small but signifcant act; it signifes you committing to the task. Each time you use your keys, it reminds you. When you have completed the task, you pick another coin. You can keep it last coin or give it to someone else as a present. After you have carried out fve of the six assignments, you get another envelope with a new set of coins. Hans created ffty small challenges that together represent the twelve happiness activities by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

I do and I understand

In his research, Hans discovered that people en- counter all kinds of obstacles when doing the happiness strategies. As a consequence, those activities require surprisingly more will power and discipline than you might have expected. Hans focused on three obstacles in particular. The frst one is that it’s hard to translate the general strategies (like ‘taking care of your body’ and ‘committing to your goals’) into concrete and realistic actions. Second, there is the fact that it’s not easy to include those actions in your daily routine, and third is the challenge to stay motivated. Hans was inspired by the famous Xun-

52 zi’s famous quote (818 AD): ‘I hear and I forget. I see have limitations. For instance from a stubborn cli- and I remember. I do and I understand.’ That is why ent, very specifc requirements or a demanding doing is paramount. Tinytask stimulates you to take target group.’ Conditions can be restrictive, but action, followed by refection and insight. The coins they also give you something to hold on to. For this translate the abstract strategies into small, man- project, there was practically no limit to what could ageable challenges and offer a tangible motivation. be designed. Hans found a way by making and The wide range of challenges stimulates curiosity testing a wide range of designs step by step. As a and also gives you the freedom to decide the speed result, he involved a lot of people in his design pro- and intensity of the activities. cess. That made the project a source of happiness for himself: ‘I would unexpectedly get touching Design as a source of happiness responses from people. There was one lady who The project was a challenge for Hans: ‘It was an wrote that after having secretly been in love for open assignment without any conditions. At frst, months, Tinytask helped her act on it and express I relished the freedom. As a designer, you often her feelings to her colleague. Now they’re a happy couple.’ A small challenge – with a big impact.

Hans Ruitenberg developed Tinytask in 2010 as his graduation project at the Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIOPD). The project was started by Pieter Desmet and su- pervised by Walter Aprile. The Tinytask design was further developed by Steven Fok- Be a guerrilla gardener: Plant kinga from Emotion Studio (Rotterdam) in 2017. http://studiolab.ide.tudelft.nl/diopd/ projects/design-projects/tiny-tasks-by-hans-ruitenberg/ fower seeds somewhere in your neighbourhood. If you pick a spot you frequently pass by, you can see how your fowers are doing.

Reference • Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want. London: Penguin Books

54 55 Colophon

This booklet was made for the Delft Institute of Positive Design (TU Delft), which aims to advance our understanding of the ways products and services can be designed to foster human happiness. Affliated researchers develop knowledge, tools, and mythology that enables and support the aspiration to design for durable wellbeing.

Credits The columns were originally written for the Dutch Journal of Positive Psychology (www.tijdschriftpositievepsychologie. nl); they have been translated for this booklet. Texts by Pieter Desmet. Photographs and other images have been provided by the designers of the presented design cases. Graphic design and booklet production by Rozemarijn Klein Heerenbrink.

Share the examples Download a free version of this booklet at www.diopd.org On our website, you will fnd more tools and a library of open-access research that focuses on design for well-being.

Terms of use Booklet: This booklet is published under an Attribution-Non- Commercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Creative Com- mons licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This means that you are free to share for non-commercial purposes as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and do not modify the original material. For licence details, see: https://cre- ativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Images: All photographs and other images included in this booklet are the property of the designers whose work is presented. Copyrights to these photographs and images are the property of these designers. Images cannot be copied or re-

used without written consent of the copyright holders.

Reference In communication, please refer to this publication as follows Desmet, P.M.A. (2018). Positive design: Delft students design for our well-being. Delft, Delft University of Technology. ISBN: 978-94-6186-912-8

56 Photo “Stadsdorp Story” by Hester van Zuthem